iPhone 5 Pre-Orders Top Two Million in First 24 Hours  —  Apple® today announced pre-orders of its iPhone® 5 topped two million in just 24 hours, more than double the previous record of one million held by iPhone 4S.  Demand for iPhone 5 exceeds the initial supply and while the majority …

Google takes on Instagram and Facebook by acquiring top iOS photo app Snapseed  —  Google has agreed to acquire Nik Software, the German developer of photography app Snapseed, for an undisclosed amount.  Sources close to the deal tell The Verge that while Nik Software produces all sorts …

Nokia confirms: Amazon has licensed its Location Platform for maps and geocoding  —  It's not that a big surprise anymore, after Reuters earlier reported that Amazon teamed up with Nokia for mapping services, but to my knowledge the Finnish smartphone and mobile software maker has never actually confirmed this to date.

The Return of Facebook's Winklevoss Twins  —  The Winklevoss twins lost the biggest social-network showdown ever when their rival, Mark Zuckerberg, walked away with Facebook.  Now they are trying again—with a social network for professional investors.  —  Flush with at least $65 million …

Microsoft confirms October 25 launch for Windows 8  —  Summary: Microsoft officials are now confirming the Windows 8 — and Surface RT — launch will be on October 25 in New York City.  —  Mary Jo Foley  —  It's not a big surprise to readers of this blog, but Microsoft officials confirmed …

Square Finally Closes $200 Million Round at a $3.25 Billion Valuation  —  Square has finally closed its fourth round of funding, which values the three-year-old company at a jaw-dropping $3.25 billion.  —  The payments company is perhaps best known for allowing small businesses …

Skype preparing to launch video messaging and ‘Metro’ design  —  Skype is preparing to update its range of clients to support a new video messaging option, The Verge has learned.  The feature will launch in time for the holidays, possibly as early as next month — according to sources familiar with Skype's plans.

Google's Loss=Yandex's Gain In iOS6: Russian Search Giant Nabs Apple Maps API; Search Deal In The Works  —  Apple's gradual extrication from Google services is having a knock-on effect in international markets — and Google's competitors elsewhere.  In Russia, the local search leader Yandex …

Everything's broken and nobody's upset  —  Software doesn't work.  I'm shocked at how often we put up with it.  Here's just a few issues - literally off the top of my head - that I personally dealt with last week.  — My iPhone 4s has 3 gigs of “OTHER” taking up space, according to iTunes.

H-P Tries On a Sleeker Look  —  Taking a Cue From Apple, CEO Whitman Makes Better Design Central to Turnaround  —  When Meg Whitman took over as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co. a year ago, she got a company-issued laptop.  —  “They gave me a brick,” she said, referring to the device's weight and chunky appearance.

Samsung to unveil Galaxy S4 in Feb 2013  —  Summary: New handset expected to sport 5-inch screen, and will see some “external changes” but retain its rectangle shape with rounded corners concept; to be unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona next year.  —  Ellyne Phneah

As predicted, Google+ passes 400M registered users, now has 100M monthly active users  —  As part of Google's announcement to acquire Snapseed's creator Nik software, Vic Gundotra, the Senior Vice President of Engineering for Google, just announced a new milestone for Google+ …

Kindle Fire HD Teardown  —  The Kindle Fire HD has landed on the doorstep of iFixit.  Naturally, we've embarked on the epic voyage of exploring the electronic innards of the Kindle Fire HD.  What will we find?  Follow along as we methodically break down each component.

Facebook's embedded option  —  The best way to think of Facebook's stock is as the sum of two businesses: the existing display ad businesses, and a probability-weighted option on a new line of business.  This is how Wall Street views it.  For example, here is a section of a recent Goldman Sachs analyst report on Facebook: